Wednesday, December 31, 2014

And decided to do it again - not in any particular order and includes the good with the bad.....

10.

Sookie....that little feral cat that stole my heart.

We adopted her in February and lost her to a blood clot in August. She is forever in our hearts.

9.

Mickey....we've had him since he was born but he just never liked it once we moved so he stayed at the old house with the new owners. We had Mickey put down this year at the ripe old age of 16. He had a very long life.

8.

Rooker.....adopted from the Humane Society almost died a week later due to an undisclosed upper respiratory infection; but he survived and is our most entertaining cat. Love him to death!

7.

CC and I have discovered that we really enjoy going to wineries and the wine!! Always the adventure.

6.

Watching our grandsons grown!

5.

The furnace went kaput and was red flagged and well, here's the new one!!

4.

Hubby got a new job....still in the car business but at Affordable Auto Sales in Waynesboro, PA!

3.

Every once in a while, I take a good picture. This fella was on the outside of my window at work and I snapped a photo with my phone!

I was up .2 (that's POINT 2) this week at weigh-in. I can handle the "point" gains. I'm sure the pretzel pizza at lunch was the cause of that.

And considering how bad I ate this past week; .2 isn't all that bad!

But now that the holidays are over....it is time to really get on track. You know the saying:

"If you kind of do it, it kind of works. If you really do it, it really works."

Well, I've been kind of doing it, now it is time to do it!

I almost didn't make the meeting this week. I had scheduled a hair appointment and had figured that I'd never make the meeting; but I got to the salon 15 minutes early and she took me right away and had me done in no time at all. So I ran home and got my WW stuff and went to the meeting. I hate to miss them because that sets me up to miss more or not worry about my eating habits until next time and well, I am paying to go - so I can't miss them.

Last night was about preparing meals. Starting over you "kind of" already know this stuff; but it is nice to hear it again to get the "doing it" working.

Tuesday, December 23, 2014

I had a much better weigh-in this week with a 3 lb. loss. I don't really believe that I lost 3 lbs. this week; just like I don't really believe I gain 4 lbs. the week before.

Weight is weird. I believe the 4 lb. gain last week was a fluke that resulted from our work Christmas Party earlier in the day. Heavy eating the day of weigh-in is never good and can throw off the success from the rest of the week. I then think once that meal was through my system, it evened its way out and I saw a big loss this week. An adjustment was made and now I'm back on track.

I got my snowflake charm tonight for on my key ring. That was for attending at least 6 meetings between November and December.

My next goal needs to be to reach my first 5 lb. loss; than 9 lbs. which will be my 5%; then the 10% etc.... It's a long journey and can only be done a step at a time; no skipping steps - each step in order.

Saturday, December 20, 2014

I apparently have been bad and it also didn't help that the work Christmas Party was the same day as weigh-in.

I almost didn't go to Weight Watchers, I knew it would be bad. I decided not to go. Then as I sat in front of the TV, I realized that if I didn't go, I wouldn't be eligible for my snowflake charm. I then realized that I could go and not weigh-in. So I decided to do that.

But walking from the car to the meeting I just decided to own it and weigh-in. I told them it would be bad; it was; I was advised to shake it off and move forwarded.

I hate being a slave to that scale. I know it doesn't mean EVERYTHING....but at Weight Watchers, IT DOES.

Sunday, December 14, 2014

It wasn't without a hitch though, once they started they realized our Central AC was shot as well and decided they couldn't attach that back to a brand new furnace. This really wasn't a surprise to us, we've band-aided that AC for the past 2 summers.

So that's something we need to prepare for in the Spring.

I haven't been too on track this week in the eating department; but I'm tracking and owning it, so that's always good.

Getting ready to finish up Christmas shopping today.....I am not a Holiday person for this time of year. Way too much worry over gifts and such; and too less on just family/friend time and such. It's a shame that people put gifts (both giving and receiving) over together time. Sigh......

Wednesday, December 10, 2014

In case you missed the mention of this a few posts back: You could smell oil burning every time the furnace kicked on. Hubby finally called the Oil Company and they came out to check. The furnace was "red flagged" which meant it was considered dangerous and completed turned off and unhooked to prevent anyone from ever turning it back on. We were told we were slowly inhaling carbon monoxide thus poisoning ourselves.

I can totally believe the poisoning thing, within a few days I felt so much better and was no longer tired.

But we needed a furnace; hubby chose to use our Oil Company for this task. No getting several estimates or anything, so the procedure went like this:

Furnace red-flagged on a Thursday; guy shows up to check furnace specs on Monday; we get the estimates on Wednesday; on Friday we go in to look at financing; financing is pushed to Monday due to the Thanksgiving Holiday weekend; we get our own financing and pay on Tuesday; furnace arrives at oil company on Thursday; install begins on Tuesday and doesn't complete; I'm sitting at home again today on Wednesday waiting for them to come and finish. (mind you in each step here we've had to initiate everything: had to call and set up for estimate; had to call to get final estimate; had to call about financing; had to call to see when furnace would be in; had to call to see when they were installing, etc...).

Now let me tell you about my step-son and his wife: Furnace goes out on Saturday; red-flagged on Monday; 4 estimates by Friday; new one installed in 1/2 a day on Monday. Ten Days! And would of been faster had they not gotten all those estimates.

See the difference? I'm not happy with this service AT ALL. And of course, the install hasn't been without mishap......Our central air unit (which sits on top of the furnace) is shot and they said they wouldn't put that on top of a new furnace. So central air will be something we need to look at in the spring. Mind you, we knew there were issues with the AC and knew it was probably what caused part of the furnace problem (next to age) but it would be nice to just have GOOD news every once in a while. Anyway I was given the name of someone I work with for the AC (had I had his name first, he could of done both the furnace and AC for probably what the furnace is costing us).

So.......Furnace now; AC in the spring and oil tank before next winter. See what I have to look forward to???

Tuesday, December 9, 2014

Tonight I earned my Weight Watchers Key Ring. You don't really have to do much, just show up for 4 meeting, but I've always liked these little trinkets.

My original looked like this:

A little different design and you had to make a 10% weight loss goal to get it. On it are the charms I earned at that journey (I'll earn on the new one as well). There's the hands with 16 that I earned at my 16th week (they think you've formed a good habit at that week number); one for walking 5K; a star for reaching goal, a Lifetime key and a washer that you get for every 25 lbs. you lose.

CC and I had re-started Weight Watchers last year and I ended up with this:

The same key ring I got tonight and a charm of a runner, which I'm pretty sure you just got for attending a certain amount of meetings in a certain time period (trust me, it wasn't for running).

I put my old two in a drawer today. I don't want to look back at the successful and failed attempt. I just want to move forward with this one.

My first charm will be a snowflake - that's just a special attendance one (like the runner one above) for attending 6 meetings between mid-November and the end of the year. I do know you get a charm at both the 5% and 10% weight losses (though I've no idea what they look like). I've always said Weight Watchers needed to come up with more charms; and I'm glad to see that they've did and that they've added for small successes as well as the big ones.

Oh and I was down .8 (that's point 8) which was a surprise because I ate very badly on Sunday. That made me think of this:

Wednesday, November 26, 2014

So I had my first weigh-in do over resulted in a 2.8 lb. loss which is awesome! It could probably of been more but I'll take that!

We've been having furnace trouble at the house. Every time it kicked on, you could smell oil burning. Hubby finally called the oil company and they came out last Thursday. Our furnace was red flagged and turned off. Completely....no longer to be turned on. The guy told us that we were slowly poisoning ourselves with carbon monoxide. So we need a new furnace.

It wasn't until Monday that anyone showed back up to check sizing and such...and today is Wednesday and they are suppose to call with pricing. Sigh...... Anyway once a decision is made (and I mean really we have to have a furnace so what decision can be made?) it'll probably be a week until one can be installed (they don't keep them in stock, so they have to order).

We've been without a furnace for almost a week. Fortunately the weather hasn't been overly cold and we have some space heaters, but it is still stressful and annoying. I'm actually surprised I haven't really over ate, but I'm doing pretty well. I'm a survivor!

Wednesday, November 19, 2014

Well my first meeting at Weight Watchers was last night and all went well. Since CC isn't going with me, I opted to attend my local meeting rather than the one we went to (our leader from there is gone anyway).

I really enjoyed the meeting and even though the topic was Thanksgiving and we were to point plus our plates - something we've done before; it was nice to get back into the groove, meet some new people and just be inspired again.

I really liked the leader Mary. She goes around the room and everyone (it's a small group) says something they've done that week and you get a "Bravo" sticker. Mine of course was "Coming back to Weight Watchers". There was another lifetimer there that was starting back as well.

Mary was very informative and advised me not to look at the big picture. We're to look at 5% loss first - which in my case is 9 lbs. I think as long as I continue with meetings I can get there by Christmas. Yes, I could probably get there faster, but I just want slow weight loss so that this time it stays off.

She went over the "Simple Start" plan with me after the meeting which also was very informative. I did do this program thru lunch today and decided it just isn't for me. I know that wasn't a long time for trying it but the food just seemed blah, and well, I just want my points. I think Simple Start is very good for the newbies to Weight Watchers and those that have been gone an extremely long time. But for me, nope I'll stick to my points.

I also got a free Active Link for joining this month. It's the new one but still comes with that $5.00 a month fee that I'm not hip on. I'll stick to my fitbit for now and just keep that in the box. As long as you never activate it; you can sale it or give it away; but once it attaches to your account it is forever there!

It is an app that costs and I think I paid $2.99 for it. Just the one time fee. I noticed at iTunes the app is $2.99 but also offers some subscription services, I don't see that with the android version.

Anyway, this one has a lot of bells & whistles and once you learn your way around is just as good if not better than the Official Weight Watchers one.

Tuesday, September 16, 2014

If you know me personally or have been a reader here for some time (does anyone read here anymore?) then you are familiar with my cat Mickey.

If not, let me give you a briefing: Seven years ago when we moved, our cat Mickey could not accept the move and kept going back to our old house. We tried everything! He'd even stay for quite a while then one day he'd be gone and we'd find him at the old house. The new owners of the house took it all in good humor and after a while just allowed him to stay. He was mostly an outside cat so they had a little house for him and fed him. We handled shot and vet visits. I even at one time gave Mickey a weekly blog posting called Mickey On The Move.

That last posting listed was the last I had seen Mickey in over 2 years (other than when I'd drive by the house and see him on their porch) and hubby and I had been talking about him a week or so ago. I had said since Mickey is an outside cat and now 16 years old, he'd probably just wander off somewhere and die - we'd never really know. The Stoner's would just say they hadn't seen him in a long time and somehow we all would just know.

Not to be.

We got notification that Mickey wasn't walking right and we picked him up Sunday evening so we could take him to the vets on Monday. Mickey wasn't happy to be here and I'm not real sure he remembers us, but he did eat and drink and then went to the basement for the night. He was putting all his weight on one side and sometimes his whole back end would go out. It was sad.

The above is truly the last photo I'll have of Mickey. We decided he could no longer function properly as an outside cat and made the hard decision of having him put down. His condition could of been a stroke or blood clots. I chose against further testing; I knew what needed to be done.

A FB friend sent this poem:

You'll See Me In The Light

I know that you can't see me,but trust me I'm right here,although I'm up in heaven,my love for you stays here.So often I see you crying, many times you call my name,I want so much to lick your face,and ease some of your pain.I wish that I could make you seethat Heaven indeed is real, If you could see me run and play,how much better you would feel.But our loving God has promised me,that when the time is right,you'll step outside the darknessand meet me in the light.
Enjoy The Rainbow Bridge Mickey - I'm sure your mom Spunky and brother Sebastian were there to meet you. I bet even little Sookie (whom you never knew) greeted you as well.

I was able to pick up Rooker this past Monday. Rooker was a very very sick kitty, but he's managed to survive and though we do have a few more days of meds to go; you'd never know there was anything wrong with him.

Sunday, September 7, 2014

Rooker ended up back at the vet's on Friday because he had stopped eating. Cats eat by smell and if they can't smell it, they won't eat. Poor Rooker is so congested.

I had to leave him at the vet's because he needs to be force fed. It's very bittersweet, but I did get word this morning that he had eaten a little on his own; this is great news!

CC and I have restarted Weight Watchers - not "officially" but on our own. We did weigh-in and measurements at her house Thursday evening. I'm only going to do measurements once a month (we aren't even sure we were measuring right-lol) and of course, weigh-ins once a week. I'm going to put my weights on the side bar just like I did when I was originally losing weight the first time. Though CC is using Sundays as her start day; I'm going to continue with Friday (day after weigh-in). I like having my whole 49 weeklies at the start and at the time I would most likely use them.

I have some product reviews to do, both the good and the bad:

I bought this one and the chocolate one. I had the one above for breakfast the other morning and it was absolute HEAVEN! I'm not a big greek yogurt person (I find it very odd tasting) but this one was really good. HOWEVER, it wasn't until after I ate it and went to calculate the points that I realized I had been deceived! This baby came in at 6 pts. - way too much! Why? Well because it is not low fat or fat free - it's the real stuff; no wonder it tasted so good. I decided to keep these as a snack in the event I have pts left and well want something else. Of course, this paired with a piece of fruit can make a quick breakfast - but it didn't keep me full long.

I'm not a huge fan of frozen meals, especially the diet ones, but I like to keep a few on hand for emergency purposes (didn't have time to pack lunch, etc..). I'm also not an exotic eater, I prefer regular old comfort food (which is why I love Weight Watchers so much) so when I saw the above as well as one with fish strips I bought them.

Oh this was just so wrong...... as you notice it is 8 pts. See that huge pile of fries? Ummmm....expect about 1/2 that amount along with TWO small chicken strips. Crisping Tray? It won't matter, the stuff just doesn't crisp. Taste? Blah.....the fries almost had that freezer burn taste to them. What a waste of 8 pts.

Thursday, September 4, 2014

Last Friday I visited some Humane Societies and ended up with a new cat.

The one I was at had an outside area for cats and I found him in there. I knew he'd be mine the minute I saw him.

The place was very very busy; so I opted to go to the cat room and look there. Many many cats; but the one I saw outside was who I wanted. I walked back to the desk and asked the girl if the black & white cat in the outside pen was available and she says "Well what's it name?" I told her I didn't know because there was no cat information outside, she says "Well I don't know who's out there. Go back to the cat room and find its sheet." Mind you, she wasn't nasty - just busy; but let's say the customer service was lacking somewhat.

I walk to the back room - many cats fit that description and I just don't know which one belongs to that cat. I walk back out with my dilemma and she advises me to just fill out an application and they'll figure it out. I do, return the application and she immediately calls someone who advises her the cat's name. Okay, now that is settled.

It was very very busy; but after about 20 minutes I got called into the adoption office. This process moved very very fast. There was paperwork everywhere being stuffed into folders, sign here & here, get your carrier and we'll get the cat.

His name was Pilot there; I've named him Rooker. Extremely friendly cat......
But......

Over the Labor Day weekend, he went downhill. It started as a few sneezes and then the runny nose started, the sluggishness....it wasn't pretty. Tuesday found me at the Vet's office where he was diagnosed with an upper respiratory infection. Upon reviewing the paperwork from the Humane Society, I realized he had been diagnosed there and put on a 10 day medication regimen the day before I adopted him. That's right....he's sick, but still on the adoption floor, still around under cats, on meds...but I wasn't told this, I wasn't given an option for meds or to leave him until he was ready.
I have a sick kitty.

He's on medication, I have to syringe feed him (cats eat by smell and well, he's too clogged up to smell) but today he's looking a little better. Poor baby.

So everyone PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE...whether you're at a shelter, rescue or a breeder..don't let them rush through the paperwork (regardless of how busy they are), read everything completely. If I would have - I still would of walked out with the same cat...but I also would of had medication that may have prevented him from getting as sick as he has.

Tuesday, September 2, 2014

Eating out can bring you to some very very bad choices. It's nice if you end up somewhere that you frequent and are prepared with what to order; or that you've had the time to research the nutritional value of items in advance. But what happens if you're just out and about with friends and end up at some random place that wouldn't be your top choice.

You can still be prepared.

I use Evernote on my smartphone and try to list point-wise choices to have on hand. For Example:

Get online, look up the nutritional values (most of the chain restaurants have this right on their websites) and keep yourself a list. Even if it's a place you don't normally frequent...at least you'll have something available in the one chance you end up there!

So what happens if you end up in a non-chain place? Remember....chicken is your friend. Aim for baked and grilled items and avoid fried. Stay away from items that are breaded. Choose sides wisely - veggies are your friends. A salad can be a wise choice if the salad dressing is a wise one - if they have no low-fat or fat free options in dressing, also go for a vinaigrette.

Monday, September 1, 2014

"I think it's time for a life makeover".....a posting on FaceBook by one of my friends.

I saw it, I liked it, I'm stealing it for this post.

Yesterday was my family reunion and CC showed up all enthusiastic because she had a weight loss idea!
Yes at the family reunion where there is a TON of no healthy food, she's talking weight loss (just gotta love her).

We've batted around the "returning to a Weight Watchers meeting" idea; but we did that last year and guess what - we paid, went, but didn't follow the program. We both agree that Weight Watchers is our "life style change" (she's forbidden me to use "diet") and the program we want to follow; however we've both come to realize that at this time the meetings just won't do us any good. We've been there, done it, not getting any new information. Plus we're still ticked at WW for ditching our meeting and our leader for no reason what-so-ever....so I kind of don't want to give them any money.

But we're lifetimers and know how the program works. We decided to stick with Thursday nights as our "weigh-in" night in CC's bathroom (that's where the scale is) and do what we normally would of done after a WW meeting - have dinner at Subway and then a movie. We've also decided that we need to commit to one movie a week - we sometimes do more and well that healthy popcorn can add up.

At Subway we know the point values and can adjust the rest of our day accordingly; plus if we do the movie on a regular day we also can adjust our weeklies accordingly. Now we could probably eat elsewhere if we need a change; but again we need to know the point value of what we'll be eating before getting there. Weight Loss means planning ahead.

Sunday, August 17, 2014

Yes, I know I've been away for a while. Losing Sookie was very heartbreaking and just pushed me out of commission. It is hard to believe that 2 weeks have past; but the pain never fully goes away.

Though I know many of my friends mean well, I would just prefer not to be offered a cat at this time. I will certainly have another one, but I need to do it on my own time frame and pick the one that I want. My hubby has always said that I pick out good pets....so a cat choice needs to be mine. Sookie came into my life when I wanted a black cat, I'm sure that was pure coincidence - I love black cats...I just don't know that is what I want this time around. I do look though and I'm sure I'll know the right cat the minute I see it! So no offers please, it will come in time.

On the weight front, it's been bad. I've gained, I look bad, I'm always tired.....it's just an on going cycle. I'm hoping to get back to Weight Watchers soon.

We lost Sookie this morning. Though she hadn't been well in several days due to an abscess (which we have no idea how that happened); she was eating and drinking and hanging around us when we were home. We were still not allowed to touch her (she's 99% feral and never lost that instinct). But this morning.....She was laying under the desk and I not only was able to touch her but pick her up. Not a good sign. Figuring she had an infection from the abscess (it had been draining); we headed to the Vet. Once there it was determined she had no fever, so it couldn't be an infection. Though further tests could help make a determination; it wouldn't be able to save her in anyway.

She didn't make it :(

The Vet thinks it may have been something genetic or even a blood clot or possible an internal injury that resulted with the abscess. We don't know, we'll never know.

Saturday, July 19, 2014

This year hubby and I had to give up our annual Myrtle Beach trip in August; but I managed to wrangle a beach trip to Ocean City, MD with my sister, nieces and great-nephews.

We went down from Sunday to Thursday and had beautiful weather. The water was extremely cold (we're not far enough south for it to be warm) but I'm not a big "getting into the ocean" person anyway - though I LOVE sitting on the beach.

We had a really good time and to continue with the "50" Links; here's some things we did:

Saturday, July 5, 2014

I've been lacking in posts recently, but want to do some more "50" posts in honor of my 50th birthday this year. So I'm going to give 50 links (not all in one post) of some great, inspiring and interesting things that I found enjoyable and hope you do to:

Sunday, June 29, 2014

It's Kitten Season - and your Humane Society and local Rescues are loaded with kittens. Plus I see dozens and dozens of listings on FB with people looking at homes for kittens and have more on the way.

Why oh why???

Why would you continue to breed if you still have kittens from the last litter? Why breed at all?

Ever see all those feral cats that live in the wild? At some point, those cats somewhere in history started as someones pet. Not a good thing.

Please stop breeding!!!

And for those looking for kittens - why is a female a must? What's wrong with a male?

Remember if you adopt from a Humane Society or Rescue your kitten will be vetted - spayed/neutered, all initial shots, tested for feline leukemia, wormed and microchipped. A cat that is safe to take home to your family and other pets if you have them.

But answer those "free kitten" ads - what are you getting? Why does this person have kittens? Why did they not have their cat spayed? Is there health guaranteed?

Yeah, I haven't been posting. I'm still rather upset over the whole Weight Watchers thing, so it has me down. CC did continue to weigh in until her membership expired. The new leader tried to push their products. So we're guessing that was the reason our leader lost her job - not enough product sales.

Also hubby lost his job and we've been dealing with the aftermath. Fortunately he has a new one starting Wednesday; but those few weeks lost will still have us a little backed up.

Thursday I had to rush out of work to CC's house. She was sick and it sounded emergency enough to leave. Ambulance to the hospital, all day in the ER and then diagnosed with vertigo. At least it wasn't a stroke or something; but it did ruin her planned weekend to Cape May.

Then...........this is where the bad hair day comes in:

I have a really good stylist, by really good I mean he's like those high end big city type stylist. Unfortunately, his haircuts have high end prices and with hubby having no job, well I needed a cut and couldn't afford a cut from him. So I went totally to the other end of the barrel - Holiday Hair Fashions. I walked in with a photo of myself from last year with the cut I wanted. I didn't get that AT ALL. I'm not quite sure what I ended up with, what I do know is that the sides weren't even and big chunks were missing - I was horrified!!

The next morning I decided to check my regular stylist's schedule - he had no appointments. So I got online and looked at other hair salons in my area, once I found a photo of stylists that didn't look like they just graduated salon school, I went there. They couldn't believe my hair - they said they could fix it, but it would mean going extremely short. I told them that I could accept that, I was prepared for it. And you know what? They did a great job! And I actually really love the cut! And the person that did it just may be my new stylist. I love my old stylist but those prices......... Anyway, if you're ever in the Waynesboro, PA area stop at Snips (across from Turkey Hill) for a great cut!

Thursday, June 12, 2014

Anyway, tonight was the last Thursday meeting. We were very distressed to learn that not only was the meeting time gone, but so is our leader. Despite being told by a substitute leader last week that our leader would be at the new location, she won't be. And Weight Watchers has given her no reason as to why she no longer has a job.

The only thing she said they've ever been on her case about was to sell more of their processed products. Apparently our group being the largest and the best at losing weight doesn't matter to them - they just want to see product sells.

Tuesday, June 10, 2014

I’m overweight – it’s a fact. I know it, I’m not proud of it – it’s a
struggle; but I know I am. Admitting and
accepting that fact is a hard task – having someone tell you that you are is
mortifying. I heard that skinny
people do not like to be called “skinny” – they see it as an insult, and though
I would rather be called “skinny” then “overweight” (or any other overweight
term) – I understand where they come from.
My weight does not define who I am.

Last week big Hollywood producer that tweets any thought
that pops in his head without thinking, tweeted this:

Needless to say it caused an uproar, but he couldn’t let it
be and when another site picked the story up, he chose to try to switch the
blame around on them:

And in his own sarcastic way:

And continuing with the sarcasm:

And finally decided to make everyone else look bad:

I would so wish the flight attendant in question would come
forward as I no doubt this individual is well within the healthy weight
guidelines. So his arm came in contact
with the flight attendant a few times during the flight- Wow, that must be a
terrible thing for a big Hollywood person to have to deal with.

I don’t care who you are – you don’t call someone
overweight, fat, skinny, etc… And you
certainly don’t continue with the bashing and expect to not have any backlash
from it and then complain about the backlash.
If he truly wanted it to go away, he’d say: “I was having a bad day, I never should of
tweeted that.” That way, he isn’t
admitting he’s wrong (since it’s quite obvious from all his tweets he doesn't
think he is), but it is kind of a half *ssed
way of apologizing without really apologizing.

So yeah, just in case you need to know – it isn’t right to
call someone “overweight”.

Not all overweight people are overweight due to over eating
(which so many of his supporters seem to think – I won’t even subject you to
those comments); some of it is genetic, some may be in the process of losing,
some may be sick, some may be on medications……but it doesn’t matter-you just
don’t do that! And since over the years,
Dana’s weight has fluctuated, I would think he’d be a little more sensitive to
this issue and definitely would know better.

Yes, Dana – your comment was wrong; sometimes it is best to
take your phone and just put it in your pocket (I’d suggest putting it somewhere else, but I try to run a clean show on this blog).

Friday, June 6, 2014

When I decided to join WW way back when, I chose a location that worked. Every Thursday evening CC and I headed to the Mall for popcorn and a movie. WW was at the mall, so we made it a habit of going to WW, having dinner at Subway, then off to a movie with popcorn. It worked!!

Our routine changed over the years, we fell off the wagon, rebooted and tried to get back in focus - we even tried a different evening for WW but the time just didn't work. Despite the fact that, as I indicated in my last post, I was taking time off from WW meetings; CC was still going and well, we're at the Mall - I can shop while she goes to meetings.

Last night I was waiting outside of WW while CC weighed in and I noticed a sign on the door indicating that WW was moving....wait, what, hello???? I then read further and realized that our meeting day and time had been eliminated completely from the schedule!! That meeting is rather full and a few of the "oldies" we'd been with originally had started back - so I was rather surprised.

CC ended up cancelling her membership last night; no one seemed to be able to give a reason for this change but then she didn't stay for the meeting so we may have missed the information. But it is very distressing.

I realize that WW has been losing money, mostly due to all the free apps and websites out there, so they look to cut where they can - but why at the expense of your PAYING members? That makes no sense what-so-ever and I'm beginning to wonder if the WW Powers That Be need to be replaced!

The new location is across town at a hotel and I'm thinking the reason that the meetings are so limited is because they can only rent the room for a few days and they chose to make the days all in a row rather than spreading them out. At the mall the whole space was theirs to use alone and well was like a WW store; I imagine they won't be letting any supplies behind in the new place.

Sunday, June 1, 2014

I downloaded the wwdiary app and got that all set up and then I did something I've never done - I prepared lunch for all week long! Lunch is the hardest meal for me to stick to and lite tv dinners, soups and sandwiches just don't cut it for me. I do well with leftovers though so I kind of used that as a base.

I buy single wrapped chicken breast at the Dollar Tree. They just costs $1.00 each and it is a frozen skinless boneless 4 oz. filet equaling out to 4 pt+. So I grilled 5 of them, one for each day. I then made a box of Uncle Ben's Country Inn Rice (chicken flavored) which I also got at the Dollar Tree. That box recommends 1 cup servings at 5 pt+, however I did 1/2 cup servings for 3 pt+ and the box made just enough 1/2 cup servings for the week! I then rounded out the meal with some mixed vegetables (1 pt+ for 2/3 cup). So I now have an 8 pt+ lunch for each day and to top it all off? It cost me only $7.25 for all 5 lunches! It would cost you that (or more) each day if you ate lunch out! So not only did I save money; I also have a lunch that I'll enjoy eating! Yay for me!

Breakfast will consist of oatmeal and skim milk (6 pt+). Dinner will be a little more trying; but I think I can handle that! Tomorrow will be hamburgers on lite rolls - still not sure of the sides yet.

The Dollar Tree also sells individually wrapped boneless pork chops....I'm already thinking of lunches for next week! Though I actually could do the chicken all over again (I'm a chicken-holic) I want to get variety into the mix!

Now if I can just get under control for eating out; I'll be doing very very well!

I had my last weigh-in at Weight Watchers on Thursday, I was down....but still not by a lot. Yeah, the little ones add up in the long run but not if you are constantly going up one week, down the next, up the next, down the next......it's like being stuck in a hole. I can't really afford WW right now so I'm opting to do it on my own - keep your fingers crossed for me, it can be very hard venturing out on your own.

I've been trying my doctor's advice by not counting points but continuing to track. I've been using the SparkPeople app which is very nice and easy and FREE (for a while they charged for it, but now it is free); though the break from points was needed, I still find the point system easier than counting calories and such. So until I can get back to WW in the fall, I'm going to use this "unofficial" app that I wrote about here: WW Diary - I do like this app, though generic and I will probably use the $1.00/month version to use the scanner - if you don't use that the app is FREE. Free is always good.

I guess I could paper track, but I always have my phone and this makes it so much more convenient.

Friday, May 23, 2014

I've been feeling a little ho-hum these days, not just because of the soon to be home situation or finances; but mostly in health.

I've been dragging, overly tired and some days I feel not quite right. Dizzy isn't the correct word, but kind of disconnected. I had this feeling over 10 years ago, no medical test showed anything, it went away on its own. Perhaps it is all in my head.

A new weight loss product is on the rise: Vi (I won't honor it with a link). Basically it's a smoothie mix. A few people I know are posting all over FaceBook about it. One has chosen to sell it; I went to her page for information. I couldn't get any information without first giving my name, address and phone number - yeah, that ain't happening. A week later I went to training with some other County employees - one of which is a Vi Team Leader - out of the blue she begins a sale pitch. I asked the obvious: "What is the monthly cost?" I had to ask this question several times to get a straight answer, because I kept getting "If you have 3 people order with you for the month, you'll get yours free." Eventually I learned there are several packets, but the one she recommended was $300 a month - THREE HUNDRED DOLLARS! That's a car payment! I then asked the obvious - "When I'm tired of drinking smoothies for 2 meals a day, how do I maintain the weight loss?" The answer? "You know weight loss is a lifestyle change."

Well - DUH! But it still didn't answer my question! She seemed annoyed I'd asked and the conversation ended. So I did an online search with reviews being 1/2 and 1/2 (naturally those selling it swear by it). I came across this site: David Modderman's Weight Loss & Nutrition Blog where he did a requested review of Body by Vi. Once he started listing ingredients, I knew the product wasn't for me; I have hypothyroid so I have to watch soy intake and what is the main ingredient in this mix? Yep, you guessed it! Soy! So despite all the headless before/after photos...I knew this was not a product for me.

Not that I planned on buying it anyway; but I always like to research. And really? Two drinks a day and then a sensible meal? Didn't Slim Fast invent that years ago? 10 to 1 I could drink a Weight Watchers smoothie twice a day with a sensible meal and lose weight. But I don't want to be limited to a drink as a meal twice a day - once, fine; twice? I'd never last!

What I need, is to kick my butt in gear and do what I need to do - the lifestyle change. I did it once; I can do it again! Goals:

The healthier choice over the bad one
Increase activity
Increase water intake and decrease diet soda
Limit the artificial sweeteners

Studies show that artificial sweeteners are bad for you; diet soda hinders weight loss. I need to start limiting these. Most sugar free products contain artificial sweetener-watch for that! Right now they are saying stevia is the best choice; but years ago it was splenda, which now isn't. It is a gamble.

I've been gone from the weight loss mentality for far too long....it's time to get back in gear.

Monday, May 19, 2014

Wow - it seems like FOREVER since I've written a post! I'd love to come on here and say "Hey, I'm really losing a lot of weight." But that isn't happening....oh, I'm still trying but the mind set just ain't there. None-the-less I've decided to take a break from Weight Watchers and focus more on eating healthier.

I'm happy to say that Brooke from my last post went viral when Shape refused to use her bikini photo and after a few television interviews, she finally got an interview with the editor of Shape Magazine! So they'll be doing an article on the reality of weight loss- Yay For Brooke!!

As for me? Other than the weight thing? It's been very very busy. My sister-in-law has been in and out between hospital and rehab and is now hopefully in rehab to get her home. Course she has no home to go to - where she was originally (sharing with a friend) just wasn't working out and the stairs at that place won't be an option for her anyway; so until she can get housing; she will be staying with us. Yes, here in the itty bitty house - but what else can we do? Hopefully it won't be long term and she'll be out and about doing her normal things. But this is causing a lot of condensing. One, my office is going to have to move back upstairs so there's room to move dressers to the current office location (which is actually the dining room); the spare room is used as a closet almost, so we need to move that stuff out to make room for her. I kind of miss my little private upstairs office, so I'm looking forward to that...though the moving everything part I'm not looking forward to!!

This weekend we got this for the dogs:

An outside kennel so they can enjoy the great outdoors! We got it off one of the FB Yard Sale sites at a great price!! So far so good and though we have no intention of putting them in there and leaving for work; it does make it nice that they can be in the yard with us!

CC and I spent Saturday at what was suppose to be a Community Yard Sale...except 95% of the community didn't participate so it was a bust. We ended up at 2 wineries and the Gettysburg Battlefield! Made for a nice day!

Kevin Spacey has a new documentary that you can purchase and download at his website. It's about the world tour they did with Richard III (which if you remember I went to see in Brooklyn twice). Though I won't name names.....I must send out a huge Thank You to one of my Spacey Pals who purchased me a download. It was totally unexpected and overwhelmingly appreciated. I haven't had the opportunity to watch yet....but hopefully soon!

Monday, May 5, 2014

If you've never read her blog, you should - but more than anything Brooke is a weight loss success. Brooke lost over 170 lbs. with the help of Weight Watchers and is now a WW Leader. Her blog was featured in Woman's Day magazine so it was no wonder that Shape wanted her to tell her story.

They asked for an after weight loss picture; she sent it. They didn't like it and requested another; she refused. They insisted; she decided not to be part of their magazine. I say - Good For Brooke!!

Shape only wants bikini photos apparently if your body is model thin......they don't want to share reality. You can read all about it and see the submitted photo at Brooke's site. Just click the link at the top of this post.

Her story made me think back to Pat. An older woman who was in my original Weight Watchers group that lost 150 lbs. She was like our group star!! She wanted to be a WW Leader and help others! The WW employee that interviewed her decided that she had "arm jiggle" and therefore couldn't represent WW. Pat hit a low point and gained all her weight back because the employee found a flaw instead of perfection. I still to this day say Shame On Weight Watchers!

If you are familiar with Weight Watchers, then you know besides the point system they have one called Simply Filling.

With Simply Filling there's a list of foods: lean meats, vegetables, fruits, fat free dairy; that you eat off of until "satisfied" (not stuffed). Yep, as much as you want. Anything off the list? You have the 49 weekly points to indulge.

So why not use that plan? One - it still involves points and Two - though I do drink skim milk...the fat free cheeses and stuff just replace the fat with chemicals. This would be such a healthier version if they'd push the processed stuff out of it. A great plan if you don't want to count points; but points are still there and I want to graduate from that!

I do follow a few blogs where the person took what they learned from Weight Watchers and moved forward from there. Some still do points, some do simply filling and some just took the tools they learned and moved on. I highly suggest these sites:

Roni Noone - Roni has made a business out of her weight loss and has appeared in magazines and on TV. She has a weight loss site, a recipe site and a travel blog.

Danica's Daily - A Simply Filling fan for the most part; she makes weight loss look so very delicious.

Friday, April 25, 2014

My doctor's appointment yesterday resulted in my doctor wanting me to monitor my blood pressure for 3 months. My pressure is normally, well....normal; why it was high yesterday I have no idea; but I'm getting a blood pressure monitor after work this evening and going to chart that for him for a 3 month period.

Course, weight was a conversation as well. When I go back in 3 months, he wants 10 lbs. gone.
We discussed my Weight Watchers journey; I explained my hard time trying to maintain and my not being as "in it" as I was the first time around - he understood it, totally agreed it is hard and said that most people feel the same as I do.

I then was rattling about every time I see food, I immediately am calculating points in my head for it, I worry I'm overeating in restaurants because point values aren't in front of me and I'm guessing and I may be wrong....I actually told him their are days that I'm just pointed out.

He then gave me a piece of advice - "Then stop counting them." I was astonished and told him that that was part of the program. He then asked me had I learned anything else from WW other than to count points? Of course, I had....I know a healthy selection from a non-healthy one; I know portion control is important and I know a lot more than just point counting! He then advised me to continue to track what I'm eating; even continue with meetings and weigh-ins; but don't count the points.

Later, after discussing this with CC and thinking further; I realized what he was getting at..... I was pointed out; in other words the point counting had become a full time job - I didn't know how to eat without a point value attached to it.

He gave me a prescription from that stress - "Stop Counting Them."

So I guess I need a notebook or some type of app that just counts nothing (otherwise I'll be thinking it through in my head).

He also advised that we aren't worrying over the WW weight guidelines; I need a weight I can maintain. I'm to aim to lose 10 lbs. and then maintain there; then I can decide to go lower or stay - but we aren't going to force a certain weight...will let my body be the guide.

Wednesday, April 16, 2014

I was at the Dollar Tree yesterday and came across this product in the refrigerator section:

It comes to 7 points plus and I can say it looks almost exactly as the photo on the box.

I had never had steel-cut oats or quinoa but had heard great things about them. I failed to see there was coconut in it though.

Anyway, I had it this morning. The coconut was light enough that I didn't taste it (I despise coconut); the oats and quinoa were bland in my opinion. If you are someone that likes these, then your opinion would be different on this product for sure; but I definitely needed to have the fruit with every bite to give it some flavor. I decided to get online, look up the company and see if there were other flavors.

As it so happens, there actually is a Lyfe Kitchen Restaurant Chain; none in my area - but there are some out there. From that site I was directed to their grocery line (no longer called Lyfe): Luvo
The change in the product name must be why I was able to find them at the Dollar Store (old packaging).

To my disappointment there are no other oatmeal flavors, but they have some flatbreads that look fabulous! I'll have to check for their products at my regular grocery store.

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Always check with your doctor before starting any weight loss program. Pick the program that you can do for a LIFETIME. Weight Loss is not a temporary situation - once you get it off, you want to keep it off!